Bloomsburg Outlasts Franklin Pierce, 7-2
Shannon shines at #5 singles despite loss
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (April 4, 2003) - The Franklin Pierce men's tennis team dropped a tough 7-2 decision to Bloomsburg University, ranked No. 3 in the Northeast region, in non-conference men's tennis action at the Bloomsburg Duels this afternoon.
The Ravens kept things close in the doubles portion of the match, as senior Ricky Sanford (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) and junior Darko Minic (Belgrade, Yugoslavia) clinched a 9-7 win over Bloomsburg's Kris Shumway and Brian Bogus at the #1 seed.
The teams battled through the singles matches, as the Huskies clinched wins at the #1, #2 and #3 singles spot to pull ahead. The Ravens didn't go down without a fight, however, as sophomore Maciej Szpakowski (Cieszyn, Poland/Mattituck (N.Y.)) battled through a three-set tie-breaker with Bogus at the #4 seed. Szpakowski took the first set, 6-3, but fell 6-4 in the second and 7-6 in the third.
Senior Art Shannon (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) also battled through three-sets, but came out on top, defeating junior Kurt Caster 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 at #5 singles. Shannon now improves to 12-2 overall in his singles matches.
Franklin Pierce (8-8, 4-1 NE-10) returns to action tomorrow when it takes on Queens College, ranked No. 4 in the Northeast region at 9 a.m. followed by a matchup with Concordia College, ranked No. 5 in the Northeast at 12:30 p.m.
Bloomsburg 7, Franklin Pierce 2
| Singles | Winner | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
| Darko Minic (FP) vs. Aleks Kalezic (BU) | BU | 6-3 | 6-2 | -- |
| Michael Hoffner (FP) vs. Mike McGrath (BU) | BU | 6-1 | 6-2 | -- |
| Ricky Sanford (FP) vs. Mark Velleck (BU) | BU | 6-1 | 6-1 | -- |
| Maciej Szpakowski (FP) vs. Brian Bogus (BU) | BU | 3-6 | 6-4 | 7-6 (7-4) |
| Art Shannon (FP) vs. Kurt Caster | FP | 4-6 | 6-3 | 6-2 |
| Ryan Jones (FP) vs. Brendan Miller (BU) | BU | 6-0 | 6-2 | -- |
| Doubles | Winner | Set |
| Sanford/Minic (FP) vs. Kris Shumway/Bogus (BU) | FP | 9-7 |
| Shannon/Szpakowski (FP) vs. McGrath/Kalezic (BU) | BU | 8-3 |
| Hoffner/Jones (FP) vs. Caster/Mark Farnsworth (BU) | BU | 8-2 |